Frequently Asked Questions

Will I have to pay additional registration fees when I pick up my
plate?

Possibly.

When you buy a one-year plate, additional fees may be collected at your County Tax
Assessor-Collector to establish a single expiration date for both the specialty
plates and your vehicle registration. They may have to prorate either your vehicle
registration fee or your plate fee to synchronize your vehicle registration period
with the first annual period for your plates. This fee may include up to an additional
12 months of plate fees in addition to your initial plate purchase fee for a new
vehicle with a two-year registration.

For 3-year plates, additional fees could appear in your 2nd year registration renewal
notice from the TxDMV. For 5-year plates, additional fees could appear in your 4th
year registration renewal notice from the TxDMV.

Trailers (light utility and enclosed, boat, non-commercial use, and trailers whose
main purpose is hauling but have minimal living quarters, but not house, camper,
travel or hybrid type trailers)

Private Buses (large buses and some SUV's designed to carry in excess of 10 passengers
and not for commercial hire)

Older vehicles carrying regular registration (however, not on officially registered
Classic or Antique vehicles as that registration is unique and separate from regular
registration and has its own class, fees and restrictions).

Some vehicles are more difficult to classify than others or offer optional registration
classes (especially vehicles with temporary living facilities, large non-commercial
buses carrying persons, and trailers that may qualify for Trailer, Travel or Farm
registration), so please consult the TxDMV Motor Vehicle Registration Manual "Registration Fees" chapter for
guidance on your vehicle, or contact your local County-Tax Assessor Collector office.

What motorcycle/moped plates are available?

All of our designs are available for motorcycle/moped. Visit our "Create a Plate"
section on the website to view these options.

Can an International Symbol of Access (ISA) for people with disabilities be placed
on my specialty license plate?

Yes, state law requires the ISA be available for all specialty license plates with
a gross vehicle weight of 18,000 pounds or less. The procedure for including the
symbol is slightly different, depending on which specialty plate is ordered.

For a My Plates specialty license plate:
If your medical condition meets the legal definition of an eligible disability:

submit a copy of a completed and notarized Form VTR-214 to My Plates via fax, email
or regular mail.

in addition to checking the availability of the desired plate, we MUST have the
completed Form VTR-214 before we can process an order with the ISA symbol via our
Customer Service Center; the order cannot be processed online.

the original Form VTR-214 must be submitted when picking up the plates at the main
County Tax Assessor-Collector’s office. The My Plates fax number is 936-462-4676.

For a charity specialty license plate:
If your medical condition meets the legal definition of an eligible disability:

submit a completed and notarized original Form VTR-214 with your specialty plate
order in person, or by mail, to your main County Tax Assessor-Collector’s office.

orders with the ISA can only be placed via your main County Tax Assessor-Collector’s
office, not online.

the original form must be submitted when picking up the plates at your main County
Tax Assessor-Collector’s office.

How long will it take for me to receive my new specialty plates? How many plates
do I receive?

Your plates will arrive at the main office of the County Tax Assessor-Collector
for your county of residence in approximately three to four weeks. Cars, trucks
and motor homes receive two (2) plates, motorcycles/mopeds and trailers receive
one (1) plate. We encourage you to call your main County Tax Assessor-Collector's
office to confirm the plates have arrived and are available for collection.

Can I transfer my specialty plates to another vehicle?

Yes, provided that the transfer is:

only to the same class of vehicle (Ex: car or truck to car or truck, motorcycle
to motorcycle, trailer to trailer, etc...).

in this example, “truck” must have a gross vehicle weight of 18,000 lbs. or less.
Please contact your local County Tax Assessor-Collector office should you need clarification
regarding your truck's classification.

between vehicles you own: Your County Tax Assessor-Collector's office staff will
issue a new registration sticker and assist with the transfer.

to a vehicle purchased from a dealer: You should remove your specialty plates and
ask your dealer to transfer the plates to your new vehicle.

to a vehicle purchased from another motorist in a private sale: Go to your main
County Tax Assessor-Collector's office to register them as you title the vehicle
in your name.

Can I transfer my personalized plate message from an existing personalized plate
(PLP) when I purchase a new My Plates plate?

Yes! We call it "porting", but when done...

in conjunction with a new My Plates purchase, you must speak to one of our friendly
service center agents at 888-769-7528 to do so.

from one personalized charity plate to another, you must handle it at your county
tax office.

Once I own a My Plates with a message, can I move my message to a different My Plates
design?

Yes! We call it "restyling". You may do so by speaking to one of our friendly service
center agents at 888-769-7528. Restyling is done for the same term-length that you
originally purchased, at a one-time charge of $50.

Who makes Texas license plates?

TxDMV contracts with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to manufacture license
plates. The plates are made by offenders at the Wynne Correctional Unit in Huntsville.

If I buy a multi-year specialty license plate, how do I pay my vehicle registration
fees?

Nothing changes. Each year, you will receive a registration renewal notice from
the TxDMV. There are three options available to renew your registration: In the
majority of Texas counties, you can renew your vehicle registration online at www.texas.gov, renew by mail, or renew in person
at your local county tax assessor-collector's office.

How do I get a refund?

We do not offer refunds. As these plates are custom manufactured specifically for
you, they cannot be reused.

What about renewal of my specialty plates?

Your specialty plate renewal is handled by the TxDMV and your local County Tax-Assessor
Collector office, as part of your annual vehicle registration process and form you
receive from them. The end of your specialty plate term is a great time to decide
if you want a new My Plates and message, or to keep the one you have. Because your
life changes, so should perhaps your plate and message. If you want a new My Plates,
call our friendly Customer Service Center at 888-769-7528, M-F 8a-5p or just click
here to: Create your plate right now!

What is a Rebate?

From time-to-time, My Plates offers savings via rebate checks mailed automatically to qualifying purchasers between 4 and 6 weeks after a successful plate order. Because My Plates uses Texas.gov, the official payment engine of the State of Texas for all purchases, we are unable to offer up-front discounting as this system does not support revised pricing. Rebates require the use of a valid Rebate Code at time of purchase and are not up-front discounts.

What is the difference between Background Only, Personalized and 7-Letter Personalized?

With Background Only you pick your design and a random plate number will be generated.
With Personalized you pick your design and then choose your own message up to 6
letters/numbers. With 7-Letter Personalized you pick your design and then choose
your own message up to 7 letters/numbers. Please visit our Create
A Plate section to view all the available options.

Can I purchase a plate as a gift for someone else?

Yes, you can do so through the normal plate purchase process. You will need the
recipient's name and address, including their county of residence, and identify
them as the "Plate Owner" in the order process. All My Plates are delivered to the
County Tax Assessor-Collector office of the "Plate Owner", which is not necessarily
the same as the "Purchaser's" county of residence. Policies regarding picking-up
another persons plates may differ by County, and you are encouraged to contact the
"Plate Owner's" County Tax Assessor-Collector office for details. You may also contact
our Customer Service Center at 888-769-7528, M-F 8a-5p for assistance.

What about Gift Cards?

Gift cards may be redeemed via a phone call to our friendly Customer Service Center
at 888-769-7528, M-F 8a-5p. My Plates Gift Cards are no longer available for purchase,
but My Plates still make a great gift! Please reference FAQ #14, or the Customer
Service Center will be pleased to answer any questions regarding the purchase of
a plate as a gift for another, and assist you in that order if desired.

How do I replace damaged plates?

These will be handled by your local county tax office:

there is a $6 charge for the replacement of personalized plates.

if the plates were damaged in production or shipping, there is no charge to order
a replacement.

Note: Plates damaged in production/shipping should be identified at receipt and
immediately brought to the attention of the county tax office. The tax office will
collect the plates and request remanufacture.

What is a charity plate?

These are specialty license plates offered by TxDMV that benefit non-profit programs.
You can see them by clicking on the Charity Plates button on our website, or by
clicking here.

How to read the original and new T for Texas plate designs?

T-Plates were redesigned to meet legibility concerns. The original designs, on the
road since 2009 and eligible to remain in use until 2021, are read like this: Click here.
The new T-Plate designs, launched in late 2014, feature messages that are read just
like any other personalized message; read the T right along with the remainder of
the message in the center of the plate.

What happened to the Custom and T-Plate categories?

The Custom category, which had alpha and numeric restrictions, was eliminated and
is now included without restrictions in the "Personalized" category of plates. The
T-Plate category was redesigned to meet legibility concerns and is also now included
in the "Personalized" category of plates. The original T-messages were bound to
only 8 total designs, but with the category changes, new and old T-Plate messages
are eligible for use on over 100+ of our exciting designs. If you have the old T-Plate
version and wish to Restyle to a new plate design for a $50 fee, please contact
our Customer Service Center at 888-769-7528 M-F 8a-5p. There's also a new special
character you can use to separate the T from your message: the Lone Star. But you
can also use any of the other special characters now to separate your T from the
plate message too. Please refer to this link for additional information: http://www.myplates.com/tplatechanges

Can customer have special characters and spaces in personalization?

Yes. My Plates now offers these special characters to help really personalize your
plate!

Dash

Period

Heart

Silhouette of the State of Texas

Star

These join the already existing "space" and International Symbol of Access (ISA)

Spaces: The designs on many plates affect the combination of characters
and spaces allowed as part of a personalized message.

Do My Plates have security features?

Yes. To assist law enforcement, the TxDMV has added holographic security features
into the sheeting of every plate. A 3M Ensure(TM) seal may be seen in
the center of the plate. Two 3M Ensure(TM) virtual security threads may
be seen running vertically from the top of the plate to the bottom of the plate.
The threads can sometimes appear as squiggly lines when reflecting light. If you
have any questions regarding the security features, please call the TxDMV call center
at 1-888-DMVGOTX (368-4689).

I'm an auto dealer. Where do I find information regarding the My Plates Authorized
Dealer program?

Interested auto dealers should send an email to dealerservice@myplates.com, and a program manager will be in touch with
you shortly.

Where did my plate go?

Plates are sometimes removed from inventory due to organization request or not meeting
the required 200 registered plate minimum. Specialty plates are valid for the original
term purchased (1, 5, or 10 years before 12-01-14 and 1, 3, or 5 years if purchased
on or after 12-01-14.) At the end of your term, you will have the option of selecting
another specialty license plate or obtaining a general issue license plate. Click
link for additional information: Discontinued Plates

Why are certain plate messages declined?

Every purchased plate message is reviewed by the TxDMV following the sale.
Some messages will be declined after purchase.
A purchased message deemed by the TxDMV at the time of their review as indecent, vulgar or derogatory or references illegal activity, among other reasons, will be declined. The full list of official decline criteria are:

If your plate message is declined, you will be contacted by My Plates Customer Service within a few days of your purchase. You will have the opportunity to change to an acceptable message, appeal your declined message to the TxDMV or request a full refund.